During the Cold War, Hollywood echoed America's constant suspicion of the U.S.S.R. by endowing just about every movie villain with a Russian accent. So it's no wonder Soviet navy veterans were wary when Harrison Ford approached them to discuss the true tale behind his submarine thriller K-19: The Widowmaker. Indeed, they had their doubts about an American icon playing a Red hero.

"In Moscow, I think [the Russians] were confused about what our intentions were," says Ford, who plays rigid Capt. Alexei Vostrikov in the film (opening tomorrow). "But we held pretty strictly to the Russian point of view. [We] didn't comment on the political system or the nature of Russians in the way that I think most people would have expected in an American film."

Ford — who was 19 in 1961, when the movie's events transpired without public knowledge — vividly recalls the World War III paranoia of those days. "I felt in peril," he says. "Chicago, where I grew up, was ringed with missile silos and anti-aircraft guns. People were building bomb shelters in their backyards. But I never really bought into the notion of 'the demon' of communism."

Long ago, when Geena Davis was doing bit parts in Tootsie and TV's Knight Rider, she dreamed she'd make it big in Hollywood. Well, 20 years and one Oscar later, Davis is content to play the mommy in Stuart Little 2 — opening tomorrow — and in real life, too.

"As far as acting goes, I don't feel enormously ambitious anymore," the 46-year-old Davis confesses. "I do feel like I've had incredible good fortune in that I've played some really unique and interesting characters... but I don't feel like I need to conquer the world anymore in that area. I think if I was gonna go nuts about passionately pursuing something, it would probably be something else."

Archery, perhaps? You'll recall that the athletic A League of Their Own star took a stab at the sport, even making it as far as the Olympic semifinals in 1999. "I haven't done archery for about a year, at least," she admits. "I just got too busy... I'm gonna get back into it. It's just too soon, I think."

Daytime TV fans recall Dr. Jan Adams as the Other Half co-host who quietly quit last year. He was replaced in the talk show's second season by a younger African-American gent, Dorian Gregory (Charmed). Now, the Harvard-trained plastic surgeon is back to host Plastic Surgery: Before and After, debuting this fall on Discovery Health Channel.

While plugging Plastic at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., Adams was asked why he left The Other Half. "Since I have this incredible learning curve," he said, "sitting next to Dick Clark for 13 weeks taught me everything I needed to know. Then, I met [Discover exec] Bob Reid at dinner. [He] said, 'I have this wonderful thing for you, if you can come over to Discovery Health Channel.' And I said... 'Absolutely.'"

Translation: Dr. Adams vamoosed off that all-male rip-off of The View first chance he got!

Apart from performing on-camera facelifts — one of cable TV's most grizzly guilty pleasures — he hopes to teach viewers the difference between real doctors and those on scripted dramas like ER. "I think the doctors on TV are not as smart, they're not as attractive and they don't do as good a job as we do," he laughed. "I mean, it's just unbelievable."